1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus capable of recording streaming data, such as broadcast program data, in a disk storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, information processing apparatuses with multimedia functions, such as personal computers and game machines, have been developed. These information processing apparatuses can handle various content data such as video and audio.
Home network systems have been developed, which interconnect household electronic devices, such as a personal computer, a game machine, a TV, and audio equipment.
In the home network system, various content data is stored in a home server. The content data stored in the home server can be used among the devices connected to the home server via the network.
Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-358966 discloses a system that provides transmission services of TV broadcast programs received by a tuner device, and Internet browsing services.
It is thus required that the home server can handle various streaming data such as broadcast content and Internet content using streaming technology. However, the size of streaming data is enormous, and there is a danger that a bus in the home server may completely be occupied by transfer of certain streaming data.
Assume a case where streaming data of broadcast content received by a TV tuner is to be stored in a storage device such as a disk. This case requires transfer of streaming data from the TV tuner to a CPU and also transfer of the streaming data from the CPU to the storage device. As a result, the same streaming data flows twice through the bus in the home server. This result leads to an increase in bus traffic and considerable degradation in the performance of the home server.